Congratulations to newly elected council members, Sharon Barovsky and Andy Stern.
I served on the Barovsky Election Committee and know well the Andy Stern Committee. Both committee campaigns were run with meticulous integrity. Had that not been true, I would not have served on the Barovsky Committee.
Well, if not hanky-panky, why the difference in the vote? “Incumbents are hard to overcome.” Is that it? Not in Malibu where the record of incumbents losing four-year terms is six. Malibu has no problem voting incumbents out. This is the advantage of a small town with an active electorate.
A candidate is a messenger. In a campaign, the messenger must identify the issues, listen to the voters and prioritize the issues. And the main issue to voters in Malibu is the Coastal Commission’s “Local Coastal Plan.” Why?
It attacks the heart of democracy, the right of local citizens to decide local destiny. It threatens everyone’s property values. The implementation cost will be borne by Malibu citizens.
The other candidates chose to emphasize different issues-revision of the General Plan; quality of life, parks, development; and recreating an environment for wildlife. They are all important issues, but issues subject to the outcome of the Coastal Commission’s plan. They are therefore moot for the locals unless we all address the prime issue-this Local Coastal Plan written by CCC bureaucrats.
The CCC Local Coastal Plan is being shoved down our throats by a run-amuck bureaucracy that has written the plan, will pass the plan and will enforce the plan accountable to no one. Can it happen?
That is the question before us.
Georgianna McBurney